


Love When Love Hurts

by eururong (orphan_account)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Host Clubs, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Please see notes for each chapter, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-11-28 10:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11415906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/eururong
Summary: “If someone at CLUB XO told me they dreamed of becoming a host,” Baekhyun pauses to laugh bitterly, “I would knock them the fuck out.”It's not about the money, the alcohol, or the time. It's about the fantasy. Host Club!AU





	1. PART ONE

**Author's Note:**

> I started working on this story in 2013 and it's finally coming back from the dead!! What the hell!!  
> In case this looks familiar to anyone, the first part of this story was originally posted on my super ancient LJ, decimatedreams, I've since reworked the story a bit since then.
> 
> Please let me know if there are any errors, this is unbeta'd m(-___-)m

Chanyeol calls Baekhyun out at nine in the morning. It’s not that big of a deal because it’s not like he’s actually sleeping or anything, even though he really should be, but Baekhyun still protests. 

“Why can’t we just talk about whatever this is on the phone?” Baekhyun asks, voice hoarse as all hell.  

“Because,” Chanyeol begins disdainfully, “I want to see the look on your dumb fucking face when we talk. I’ll be at the Family Mart near your apartment in like… twenty minutes. So be there.” There’s an unspoken or else at the end of that sentence. 

The line goes dead and Baekhyun chucks his phone over his shoulder. For a moment, Baekhyun contemplates going in his pajamas, but he figures he won’t embarrass Chanyeol like that so early in the morning. He throws on a pair of worn jeans, a black v-neck top, and a cap. By the time Baekhyun ambles over to the convenience store Chanyeol is already sitting at the bar in the window, eating from a cup noodles. 

“Took you long enough,” Chanyeol tells him with a mouthful of noodles, one corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. 

“Shut up,” Baekhyun mumbles, sitting on the stool next to him, “Hurry up and tell me what’s so important so I can go back to bed.” 

Chanyeol looks at him for a second with dark and unreadable eyes before he turns back to his ramen, filling his mouth with more. He chews slowly, almost thoughtfully, which, you know, is weird because Chanyeol generally just spits things out. Baekhyun gets a bit worried, wrings his hands because he thinks now Chanyeol called him here to fire him, but he doesn’t say anything. Long moments pass. 

“I’m thinking about leaving.” 

“W-What?” 

“Kris has to go back to China. He’s taking over his father’s company soon. He asked me to go with him when he does.” 

Fuck. 

Baekhyun stands, suddenly feeling dizzy. It’s nine in the morning, and this is too much for him to handle right now. He focuses on putting one foot in front of the other as he walks away.  

“I need some banana milk.”  

\-- 

The new guy was handsome, Baekhyun could give him that. He had the type of face that would have the ahjumma’s flocking to him – the type of women who came here looking to associate with a “real” man. He was good looking, but he was nervous. Maybe even scared. As Chanyeol showed him around the club, giving him instructions and advice, his eyes were wide and he nodded frantically. When surprised, which was often, his thick eyebrows would shoot right up to his hairline. 

“Stop staring,” Luhan says, digging his elbow into Baekhyun’s side. Baekhyun sucks his teeth, rubs his hand across the sore spot. Luhan only smirks at him, turning back to the mirror to put in his diamond earrings. 

“I’m not staring,” Baekhyun protests, but he’s still looking as Chanyeol teaches him about the prices of champagne. After a minute, he turns back to his reflection, picking up his flat iron and running it through his bangs. Luhan laughs a little, one of the slightly condescending ones he loved to dole out. 

“You are not good at lying,” he says in the accented Korean Baekhyun has gotten used to, “Because if you weren’t staring, you wouldn’t have seen how broad his shoulders are in that button-up, Baekhyun-ah.” 

The tips of Baekhyun’s ears turn pink. The next time Luhan laughs Baekhyun flinches, glaring at him in the mirror with all the fury he can possibly muster. Turning his back, Luhan leaves the dressing room, passing by the new guy and eyeing him openly. 

Baekhyun puts away his things and leaves the room as well, pulling the curtain closed behind him. He manages to leave just as Chanyeol has finished explaining how ordering bottles works. He sees Baekhyun from the corner of his eye and gestures for him to come over. 

“This is the new guy we picked, Suho,” Chanyeol introduces him, and Suho gives a little bow, smile small and sheepish and holy fuck, look at that smile. 

“Baekhyun,” he blurts out after a few uncomfortable beats, “Byun Baekhyun. Nice to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Suho replies, and he sounds like he genuinely means it, smiling a bit more comfortably, “My real name is Joonmyun, but, I’ll go by Suho here.” Baekhyun nods and walks away because if he stays he might make a fool of himself. He doesn’t know what the fuck is wrong with him. He remembers when Chanyeol brought in Tao and everyone went crazy for him, gay and straight alike, and Baekhyun had barely been moved. He figured back then it was a sign that he wasn’t gay for sure, but now all he can think about is getting his hands all over this Joonmyun.  

“You all right?” Yixing asks, sliding his hand underneath Baekhyun’s bangs to feel his forehead. Baekhyun lets out a yelp of surprise, because he hadn’t even heard Yixing come over to him and here he was, touching him and being all mother hen like. 

“I’m fine,” he snaps, pushing his hand away, “I’m just… tired is all.” 

Baekhyun stalks to the bar and pulls out a bottle of cheap champagne, pops it and pours himself a glass. 

“That’s coming out of your pay tonight, asshole!” Chanyeol screams from God-knows-where, “And don’t get all drunk and stupid!” Sighing, Baekhyun chugs. 

 

\-- 

CLUB XO was small and dark in the way that it felt incredibly intimate. With booth comprised of high backed chairs and beveled glass stacked on top, it was easy to lose oneself in the happenings, as if there was no one else there. There were only two rooms in the back; both expensive enough that they were rarely occupied save for the wealthiest clients, or the most secretive. The only decor in the club that wasn’t red or black was the collection of host photos, their faces illuminated by bright white bulbs. They were listed in order of their general sales rank: Chanyeol, Kai, Tao, Baekhyun, Luhan, Kyungsoo, Jongdae, Sehun, and Yixing, although because there were no numbers it was impossible for customers to tell.  

They only have half an hour until the club opens for the night, and everyone’s becoming frantic. Of course, it’s the same scene every night, with last minute hair placement, makeup, and jewelry. Baekhyun is sitting in a booth, silently watching the commotion. Chanyeol and Jongdae are going over jokes to use, testing them out on each other as Sehun shakes his head at the both of them, telling them that nothing they’re saying is going to earn them more. Suho squeezes through the three of them as he walks towards the washroom. Baekhyun looks him over once before getting up and hurrying after him. 

“Suho,” he says before he grabs his wrist, pulling him past the curtain of their changing room. 

“W-What?” Suho stutters, the look of surprise on his face almost comical. 

“Take off that belt,” Baekhyun says gruffly as he leans over his duffle bag, rifling around in it, “You can’t wear a brown belt for fucks’ sake.” 

He hears the clink and hiss of Suho’s belt as it comes free from his belt loops before turning around, one of his black belts in hand. The belt buckle was large, silver, with a rhinestone cross. Suho takes it in both hands, bowing his head in thanks. 

Suho slides it through his belt loops and Baekhyun takes the opportunity to reach forward and undo some of the buttons on his shirt. Suho doesn’t even seem surprised by the sudden closeness of their bodies, doing up the buckle as he asks, “Are you a Christian, Baekhyun-ssi?” 

Baekhyun steps back to admire his handiwork. He hums low in his throat, “Mm. I guess so. I was raised one, anyway. What about you?” 

Nodding, Suho looks at his reflection in the mirror. He frowns a bit, brow furrowing as his fingers trace the skin now exposed. 

“I don’t know if you’ve been told already, but, we’re in the business of selling fantasies, Suho,” Baekhyun informs him, “We’re not prostitutes. We’re entertainers. What we sell these women isn’t time, or our bodies, or alcohol. We sell them the dream that one day we could be theirs. That one day, maybe, all the lies we tell them will become true.” 

Suho looks away from his reflection, away from Baekhyun. Maybe he hasn’t faced the fact that he’ll be making a fortune off of lying to hardworking, lonely women. 

“Anyway, you have to show more skin. If they stop fantasizing they stop coming.” 

Baekhyun leaves at that, quickly pushes the curtain aside and goes to sit down, waiting for the night to begin.  

\-- 

At the end of the night Suho is drunk and has already established himself a place in the host rank. He’s hanging off of Kai, arm wrapped loosely around his waist as he nuzzles his nose into the crook of Kai's neck fondly. Kai looks positively disgusted, shifting their weight so Suho’s head flops as far away as possible. Yixing laughs quietly, tired, and tells Kai to play nice. 

“Play _nice_?” Kai asks, incredulous, “First he takes two of my regulars and now I have to take his drunk ass home?” 

Tao and Sehun wave over their shoulders to everyone, heading off to their own apartment. Luhan leaves right after, his goodbye a bit longer because he has the next few days off to fly back to Beijing for his sister’s wedding. As he walks away he says over his shoulder, “Watch out, Baekhyun!” Which causes Kyungsoo and Jongdae to pester him until Baekhyun punches the both of them in the shoulder. 

“Chanyeol said you live the closest to him,” Yixing continues patiently to Kai, “So just please take him to his apartment. You know how this business is, don’t hold it against him.” 

Kai huffs and says, “The whole shy-gentleman act is really annoying is all.” But his tone is lighter. Chanyeol may be the boss, but Yixing was really the only one who could rein all of them in when needed. 

Kai leaves with Suho then, preferring not to be in any conscious person’s presence while he broods in his own anger. As Suho is dragged away by Kai he reaches out and runs his fingers down the sleeve of Baekhyun’s suit jacket. Baekhyun is ripped from his thoughts and looks into Suho’s face, at the stupid drunk smile he plastered there. 

“Thanks,” Suho mumbles before Kai drags him away, asking loudly about where his wallet is located. 

“Thanks for what?” Jongdae asks when the pair has already hailed a taxi.  

“I lent him that belt earlier.” 

Baekhyun turns and walks back through the entrance to the empty club when Yixing, Kyungsoo, and Jongdae finally split a cab. It always feels odd, even after all these years, to be here when there are no hosts, no customers, no flashing lights and empty champagne bottles. Chanyeol is sitting behind the bar, pouring himself a glass of soju from the private stash he kept. Baekhyun moves behind the counter and sits next to Chanyeol, leaning on his elbow, cheek resting in his palm. 

“So, about what we talked this morning,” Baekhyun begins, but Chanyeol cuts him off with an angry hiss from the back of his throat. Baekhyun’s eyes go wide and he says in shock, “You sounded just like your fucking cat then! Maybe you should get a roommate so you don’t just talk to him all day…” 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes but says nothing. He reaches under the bar to get Baekhyun a glass. He pours him soju and Baekhyun knocks it back in one shot. 

“You always said getting involved with clients was bad,” Baekhyun continues even though he knows Chanyeol doesn’t want to hear it. But someone has to tell him, and it’s better if it comes from him. 

“Kris is different,” Chanyeol says with fierce conviction. Baekhyun doesn’t dare doubt him at a moment like this. 

“Well, what about us? What’ll happen to the club when you leave? Are you coming back?” 

Shrugging, Chanyeol spins his glass around on the bar top. He’s so fucking nonchalant about all of this – about running off with a client to live the life of Riley, about leaving everyone at CLUB XO, about never coming back to his home again. 

“Fuck, answer me!” Baekhyun finally bursts out, “What are you planning on doing? When the fuck is this happening?” 

Chanyeol is still silent, simply watching the glass twirl around with his fingers. 

“I’m not abandoning you all,” he begins and Baekhyun scoffs, because that’s exactly what it sounds like, “Not intentionally, anyway. I just … I deserve to be happy too, you know? Kris makes me happier than anyone else. And I fucking deserve to be happy.” 

“I never said you didn't,” Baekhyun murmurs. He’s suddenly exhausted, eyelids feeling heavy as he scrubs his hand across his face. The glass is still spinning. 

“It’s not soon. So we have more time to talk about this. Go home and get some sleep.” 

He tries but he can’t. The black curtains on his windows are already pulled tight against the morning light but Baekhyun is wide-awake in bed, listening to the sounds around him. The water is dripping in his shower – a leak that he’ll probably never get around to fixing even though it costs him money every month; the honking of car horns outside of his window; the morning news report filtering in from the apartment next door.  

Baekhyun sighs and pulls himself from the tangle of sheets around his legs. In the bathroom he swallows one, two, three of the sleeping pills he keeps in the medicine cabinet. Later in his bed when he feels the tingling in his fingertips, the heaviness of his eyelids he sighs and wonders if he could keep this feeling forever.  

\-- 

Someone claps a hand on his shoulder and Baekhyun suddenly has a black shopping bag under his nose. Quickly he turns around, realizing its Suho. He must have looked shocked or scared because the man gives a laugh and pats his shoulder consolingly. 

“What’s this?” Baekhyun asks, taking the bag into one hand. 

“Your belt,” Suho answers cheerfully, “Thanks a lot for letting me borrow it, by the way. One of my customers loved it.” 

Smiling a little Baekhyun places the bag next to the duffle he had just been bent over. Suho’s wearing a full suit today, expertly tailored to fit the lean, muscular frame of his body. His shirt is satin, a dark blue color, unbuttoned just enough to show the contrast with the paleness of his skin. Baekhyun realizes he’s staring and he turns away slowly, moving things around on the table in front of him. 

“What are you doing tomorrow afternoon?” Suho asks, still standing right behind Baekhyun.  

“Nothing, I guess. Why?” 

“I was wondering if you wanted to meet for lunch before work. My treat. To say thanks for helping me out my first day. Most people wouldn’t be nice to the new guy at a place like this.” 

Baekhyun nods, still not looking at Suho. He fishes his cellphone from the pocket of his slacks before turning around, unlocking it. 

“Sure. What’s your number?” Baekhyun asks. Suho takes the phone from his hand instead of just telling him aloud. Their fingers brush when he does, such a simple touch, but Baekhyun stiffens slightly. Suho glances up from his phone, but says nothing. A long list of curses races through Baekhyun’s head. 

\-- 

“Baekhyun-oppa!” Hyolyn cries, drunk and off balance as she reaches across the table to clutch at the sleeve of his suit jacket, “The new host is so handsome! Bring him over please! I want to meet him!” She shakes her honey blonde bangs from her eyes, cheeks red with amusement and champagne.  

Baekhyun shakes off her hand and smiles, taps her on the nose and then smoothes down her disheveled bangs. Hyolyn’s smile is toothless and so wide her eyes close completely. Soyou scoffs at Hyolyn’s childish antics but Baekhyun knows that she wants for Suho to come over just as badly. 

“I’ll be right back,” he promises, walking away quickly, cursing under his breath because these girls were probably going to fucking switch to Suho the second he opened his mouth. He strides over to Suho and Chanyeol’s booth, where they’re chatting up some of Luhan’s clients, the kind of girls who like someone who can be aloof and kind at the same time. When Chanyeol sees Baekhyun coming, he shouts in surprise and the girls turn to see what the commotion is about. One of them, Jessica eyes him with something close to disdain.  

“Suho-ah,” Baekhyun calls, “Come with me for a minute. I have some girls who want to meet you.” 

“No, oppa!” Jessica’s friend whines, “You told me you didn’t have any other girls to see tonight!” 

Suho looks confused for a second before he picks up the girl’s slender hand, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. Blushing furiously and stifling a giggle, she says, “Give me a real kiss and I’ll let you go.” 

Suho leans in and cups her face in his hands, gently gracing her lips with a sweet kiss. When he pulls back he stands up immediately, saying, “I’ll be right back.” 

As they walk back to the other side of the room, where Baekhyun’s table is, Baekhyun objects, “I’m sure Chanyeol already told you having relationships with clients isn’t a smart idea.”  

“I know. I only did that to get away from her,” Suho laughs, “Don’t worry, Baekhyun.” 

Baekhyun twists the ring on his finger and wonders if he’d sounded jealous or snotty. He runs his fingers through his bangs and continues, “Okay, good. Oh yeah, don’t drink like you did last night, you obviously can’t hold your alcohol…” 

By the time Baekhyun’s finished rambling off his list of advice, they’re standing in front of Hyolyn and Soyou’s table, Hyolyn leaning heavily on her friend’s shoulder. 

“Oppa!” Hyolyn cries and bolds upright, swaying dangerously as she does so. Soyou grabs onto her wrist to keep her from falling over. Squeezing in-between the two of them and sitting down, Baekhyun wraps an arm around Hyolyn’s shoulders and places a hand on Soyou’s thigh. 

“This is Suho. Apparently Chanyeol thought I wasn't handsome enough so he had to hire him…” Soyou giggles at that, gesturing for Suho to sit down. He does, smiling as he slides into his chair. She leans forward and puts her elbows on the table, framing her face with her hands as she openly stares at Suho. 

“Why did you become a host, Suho-ah?” Soyou asks as she pulls out a cigarette, waiting for Suho to provide a lighter. It’s sleek and silver, an ageless type of lighter; it’s just the type of lighter that he would carry. Soyou is surrounded in a cloud of smoke before Suho answers, the smile on his face more forced than the last time. 

“So I could meet beautiful women like you, of course,” he supplies smoothly, and Soyou has the dignity to look skeptical despite the reddening of her cheeks. Suho reaches for the bottle of champagne on the table to refill the glasses. 

“Bottles empty,” He announces after he does so, shaking it for effect, “Guess that means none of Baekhyun and I, then.” 

Oh fuck, this guy is good. Baekhyun hears Hyolyn make a humming noise before he turns to look at her, her face scrunched up in thought. She places a manicured finger on Baekhyun’s nose, his eyes crossing to look at it. 

“We’ll get another bottle if you sing karaoke with us!” Hyolyn announces, snuggling her head up against Baekhyun’s shoulder, looking up at him fondly, “Oppa has the best voice.” 

Baekhyun looks to Soyou because it’s her money too, and they’ve already ordered three of their most expensive bottles tonight. It’s not like Baekhyun needs the extra one but Soyou only shrugs. 

“You two can,” she says with her mouth around the filter of her cigarette, “I’m not in the mood.” 

Baekhyun sighs, puts on a tired face for a second just to feel Hyolyn crumble against him. Just when she opens her mouth to complain, Baekhyun turns to her, smiling brightly. 

“Of course. Come on.” 

\-- 

Hyolyn chose a song for women, of course, one about cheating men with cellphones that need to get gone. Baekhyun doesn’t try to make his voice higher, instead intentionally deepens it when it’s his turn to sing because he thinks it will make Hyolyn laugh more and it does. She clutches him for support, too drunk to carry herself in her laughter. As Hyolyn tries to raps Baekhyun looks out from the platform to the booth where Soyou and Suho are seated, watching as Suho wraps his arms around her and lights another cigarette for her deftly. 

He spaces out enough that he completely forgets to sing at the end, suffering through Hyolyn’s complaints until she leaves. 

\-- 

At the end of the night, after Chanyeol has finished comparing the drink receipts with what’s in the cash box he calls them all to sit down for a meeting before they go home. They begin to stumble towards the bar, dead on their feet and tipsy, or in Kai’s case completely drunk.  

“Apparently, he couldn’t handle Suho taking two of his best,” Yixing is explaining to Chanyeol quickly, “He didn’t drink more than usual, he just didn’t force any of it back up.” 

“I don’t give a fuck,” Chanyeol snarls, “He threw up in front of a customer! If he’s mad about Suho taking two of his customers I’d love to see how he feels when he loses ten more.” 

Kai bows his head, placing his palms together and putting his hands under his chin, “Chanyeol-hyung, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” 

“It better not. I don’t give a flying fuck about your rank but you better sell. And I don’t want you ruining this club’s reputation. There’s enough competition in this area without you fucking with us too.” Chanyeol hasn’t looked this angry in a long time, as much as Baekhyun can remember – face red and eyebrows nearly fused together. He runs a hand over his face, smoothing out the wrinkles before he points at Kyungsoo. 

“You. Ryeowook called to see if you’d be here Friday night.”  

Kyungsoo’s eyes light up, a small smile turning up the corners of his mouth despite how tired he had just looked. Baekhyun realizes then why Chanyeol told him this fact instead of letting him see for himself Friday. It was exactly the kind of reaction that got hosts in trouble. Chanyeol frowns sadly, nothing on his face expressing anger. 

“Kyungsoo. Be realistic, please. He’s a married businessman.” 

The air in the room is suddenly filled with crackling tension; Kyungsoo’s previous excitement is now replaced with indignation, his fists curling at his sides where Chanyeol can’t see them. 

“Don’t you tell me to be realistic, look at you and Kris! Ryeowook comes every night that he’s in Seoul. You can’t judge him, you don’t know _anything_ about him.” 

The sigh that Chanyeol gives is one of defeat. He shrugs his shoulders and runs a hand through his hair before reaching over the bar to pat Kyungsoo on the shoulder. 

“You’re right. I don’t know anything about him. He’s your customer, not mine,” Kyungsoo relaxes at his touch then, still frowning, “But I don’t want you to get caught up in this. You’re a good host. I don’t want to lose you. That goes for all of you bastards, by the way.” 

There’s a low murmur of consent. Jongdae wraps his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder when he begins to shake a bit, whispering reassurances. Kyungsoo nods as he speaks, trying to roll the tension out of his shoulders. Baekhyun watches him and feels his heart ache. 

“Okay. That’s all. Go home and be back tomorrow on time.” 

Tao wraps a hand around the back of Baekhyun’s neck when he doesn’t make any effort to move from the bar. He turns over his shoulder and sees Suho standing behind him as well. 

“Are you coming, hyung? You, me and Sehun can split a cab?” 

Baekhyun shakes his head but smiles, says, “Nah, it’s okay. I have to talk to Chanyeol for a bit, first.” 

Tao nods and smiles, happy like he always is, turning and walking outside with Sehun. When he’s sure the two of them are gone Baekhyun faces Chanyeol again, watching him recount money again and again. 

“I’ve been with you since you opened CLUB XO, and I always thought I would be the first to leave, not you. You’re the best host in Seoul,” Baekhyun admits, laughing a bit resentfully. There’s a slight pause in Chanyeol’s fingers as they skim through the paper, a barely noticeable trembling when he continues. Baekhyun sighs and goes on, “The advice you gave Kyungsoo earlier was good. Maybe you should follow it too.” 

Done counting, Chanyeol puts the bills in the money box and locks it, momentarily out of sight as he bends down to put it in the safe under the bar. When Baekhyun can see him again Chanyeol’s eyes are red.  

“Kris isn’t married. And he’s out, so things are completely different with us,” Chanyeol argues, crossing his arms over his chest, “Kris makes me happy, and he loves me, and I don’t want anything else but that.” 

Baekhyun nods and steps away from the bar, because the tone in Chanyeol’s voice tells him that’s he’s made his decision already. He turns and leaves, one hand gripping the doorknob before he looks over his shoulder and says, “I won’t tell the rest, though. You’ll have to do that.” He doesn’t wait for Chanyeol’s reply before he steps out of the club and into the lobby. He imagines he wouldn’t have said anything anyway.


	2. PART TWO

Baekhyun’s phone rings around 2 PM, vibrating hard enough to skitter from his bedside table and crash to the ground. Groaning, he reaches down blindly and manages to wrap his fingers around it.

 

“Hello?” he answers sleepily, eyes still closed.

 

“Ah, Baekhyun, did I wake you?” Suho’s voice filters through, sounding more chipper than acceptable for someone who worked until six in the morning. 

 

“Not really,” Baekhyun decides to lie, “What’s wrong, Suho?”

 

Suho’s laugh is deep and smooth, “Did you forget? We’re getting lunch today.”

 

He did. Baekhyun had totally forgotten. After he got home Baekhyun polished off the better part of two bottles of soju, on top of everything else he had drunk that night. By the time his head hit the pillow, Baekhyun was nearly blackout drunk, head spinning with wild thoughts. 

 

“Oh, uhhh,” Baekhyun tries to come up with something to say, maybe some excuse as to why he’s still in bed when he should be awake and dressed, “I drank when I came back last night. A little too much.” His brain spits out the truth, and he’s a bit embarrassed but tries to remember Suho’s first night and how drunk he was.

 

“That’s okay. Hey! How about I bring lunch over to your apartment? That way you don’t have to come out,” Suho sounds excited at the suggestion and Baekhyun admits to himself that it’s a decent idea.

 

“Okay, I’ll text you my address,” Baekhyun croaks before hanging up, too tired and now officially hung-over for phone formalities. In the middle of texting, Baekhyun somehow manages to drop his phone right on his face, cursing himself profusely. Eventually, he manages to send his address over, closing his eyes and drifting into sleep again. He dozes like that, splayed out in the middle of his bed, cellphone still in hand until his phone vibrates again.

 

It’s a text from Suho. The only word of the text is “outside,” followed by about five smiley face emojis. Baekhyun didn’t peg Suho to be that sort of guy, but it’s just another lesson that it’s impossible to judge a host by their persona.

 

By the time Baekhyun manages to throw on pants and stumble to the door Suho’s been sitting outside for probably five minutes or so. The sun outside is absolutely blinding, and Baekhyun recoils from it the second his door swings open. Suho laughs again, the absolutely intoxicating laugh that sounds better now that Baekhyun is hearing it in person. It wakes him up just enough that he feels self-conscious about his loose-fitting sweats, his ridiculous hair, and the fact he didn’t have on a shirt.

 

“I wasn’t aware I was working with vampires,” Suho jokes, following Baekhyun into his apartment. The smell coming from the large brown bag Suho toted in his right hand was heavenly. Suho bumps into the umbrella rack on his way into the apartment, and Baekhyun realized exactly how dark his apartment is. 

 

“You’ll become one too,” Baekhyun tells Suho before he begins to crack some curtains to let light in bit by bit, “I’m surprised your sleep schedule hasn’t been destroyed. Mine was shot on the first day.”

 

Baekhyun turns away from his living room curtains and sees Suho standing in the middle of the floor, looking uncomfortable. Wearing a grey vneck shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, anyone else would have looked like an average Joe, but Suho somehow looked as if he had stepped out of some kind of editorial with his hair slicked back perfectly, sunglasses perched atop of his head. Baekhyun stares, for just a second, or maybe a minute, before he realizes the reason Suho looks so uncomfortable is that there’s no place to sit and no place to put down the food. 

 

“Oh shit!” Baekhyun feels the blood rush to his face. His apartment is an absolute mess. He begins picking up clothes that little the floor and chairs, the magazines and books across his kitchen counters. “Oh, um, yeah, I’ll clean this up. Just sit down, sorry.”

 

Baekhyun rushes to his room and dumps his dirty clothes into one pile on his head and his books into another. As he turns to go back to the living room he slams smack into Suho’s chest, clutching an armful of dirty laundry himself. Baekhyun groans with embarrassment and takes it from him, throwing it with the rest.

 

“A little embarrassing,” Baekhyun chuckles, but Suho shakes his head in disagreement.

 

“Come on, let’s eat. I brought over some pajeon and bibimbap. Do you have eggs? I like extra eggs in mine but forgot to ask for some. Hurry and eat before it gets cold.”

 

Suho smiles at Baekhyun and he feels his knees go weak. It’s probably just the hangover. He follows Suho into his own living room, stopping to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge.

 

“Do you want one?” Baekhyun offers, but Suho shakes his head, pulling out a bottle of green tea from the plastic bag. After Baekhyun takes a seat next to him on the couch he realizes that he still forgot to put a shirt on curses himself out for being so clueless. Suho opens up the container of pajeon and the smell overwhelms Baekhyun, his stomach growling painfully, reminding him that he hasn’t eaten for almost 24 hours.

 

Baekhyun coughs and says, “Thanks for the food,” before taking a long drink from his water, because the silence, although brief, had been awkward. 

 

“No, thank you for helping me,” Suho smiles, breaking up the pajeon with his chopsticks, “I mean it. I was so scared when I walked in there. But you guys are way nicer than I thought. Especially you.”

 

Baekhyun’s stomach flips and he feels like he can’t find anything to say, so he picks up his own chopsticks and starts shoveling food into his mouth. He’s kicking himself for feeling nervous at every turn, for feeling like some sort of kid sitting next to his first crush. And yet, in a way he is – when it comes to men anyway. Baekhyun had… thoughts before, but nothing like actual feelings. Just the quiet musings before bed about what it would feel like to have muscular arms encircling him from behind, to have his sheets and pillows smell like musk.

 

Just thoughts. Never having anyone make him feel like everything he does in his own apartment is clumsy and useless.

 

“So, how old are you for real?” Suho asks after he swallows a mouthful of food, “I know your page in the book said you’re 25 but you don’t look a day older than 18.”

 

Baekhyun gives a sheepish laugh and runs a hand through his hair, sticking up in every which direction. “I’m actually 21.”

 

“So you are my dongseng! I'm 22” Suho smiles and laughs, “I’m supposed to be taking care of you but instead…”

 

Baekhyun chokes a bit and drinks more water. Why on earth did he agree to have Suho come here of all places? He should have just dragged his ass out of bed instead of sitting in his half-dark living room, which was filthy as all hell and vaguely smelled like moldy instant ramen cups, with Suho on the couch next to him.

 

“So,” Baekhyun says in a measured tone, “Why did you decide to become a host, Suho?”

 

There’s a tremble in Suho’s wrist that Baekhyun barely catches out of the corner of his eye. Baekhyun turns to look him full on, notices the flickering of Suho’s eyes as he looks around the room. Apparently, this was the wrong question to ask. For what seems like the hundredth time in such a short span of time, Baekhyun is mentally kicking himself yet again.

 

“Ah, you know, this and that. Mostly because I needed money. It wasn’t a particular dream of mine.”

 

Suho didn’t seem like the kind of guy who needed money. The clothes Baekhyun saw him wear at the club were tailored perfectly to his body, his shoes shined. Even the clothes he was wearing now, although casual, were brand name as evidenced by the logo on his chest. Suho didn’t seem like the kind of guy who needed money. But Baekhyun will let it go.

 

“If someone at CLUB XO told me they dreamed of becoming a host,” Baekhyun pauses to laugh and to pick up the last bite of pajeon, “I would knock them the fuck out.”

 

\--

 

Baekhyun is still nursing a bit of a headache when he walks through the doors of CLUB XO, bag slung over his shoulder and sunglasses dangling from his nose. He’s early – early enough that the only other person here is Chanyeol, who’s wiping down the counters with cleaner. Chanyeol looks more hungover than he does, with red-rimmed eyes and hair reaching towards the ceiling.

 

“Holy fuck,” Baekhyun gasps between his laughter. It was a very, very rare sight to see Chanyeol so unkempt, “What happened to you? You look awful. Did you sleep?”

 

“Not at all,” Chanyeol sighs, putting down his spray bottle and rag to rest his head against the counter of the bar, “Kris’ dad died last night.”

 

The handle of Baekhyun’s bag slowly slips from his grip without him realizing. Not even the thud of it hitting the ground is enough to pull him out of his stupor. He knows what this means, and he knows it’s too soon. He knows that Chanyeol is asking too much of him, putting too much on his shoulders with all this shit. He stares at Chanyeol hunched over the bar for god knows how long, until Tao and Sehun wander in, laughing and chatting up a storm. Chanyeol shoots him a glare when he sees them walk in, one that says don't say a fucking word. 

 

Baekhyun tries to play it cool, but it’s harder to breathe than usual. Sehun catches on, laying a hand on his shoulder and asking him if he’s okay. The gentle warmth is enough to bring Baekhyun back. He manages to lock eyes with Sehun and nod before picking up his bag and stalking to the back room to get ready.

 

Fucking Chanyeol.

 

\--

 

Baekhyun is curled in a ball on one of the back couches, pretending to sleep so he doesn’t have to be a part of the commotion of the evening. Everyone’s laughing and talking about this TV show, that new store that just opened, their hair, and that annoying customer that just won’t stop texting them. Baekhyun feels like he can’t make that sort of conversation, not at a time like this, so he stays quiet and still and everyone leaves him alone. 

 

Suho is the last to show up. The other guys give him shit for it – especially Sehun, who says he should be the first to be there to clean the entire club. Baekhyun hears the smack that Sehun receives from Kyungsoo, who reminds him that when he first started he was late the entire first month.

 

“That’s because I didn’t live anywhere near here at the time!” Sehun tries to defend himself, but he’s drowned out by the calls of agreement with Yixing. 

 

Baekhyun feels a warm hand on the small of his back before smelling the deep musk of cologne. 

 

“Baekhyun,” Suho says softly, “We’re gonna open in a few minutes. You want to finish getting ready?”

 

Baekhyun rolls over and finds his face very close to Suho’s – so close that he can count his eyelashes, so close that he can see that Suho’s eyes have flecks of light brown around his iris. Suho doesn’t even move for a moment, just stays there, looking like it doesn’t bother him at all.

 

“Uhhhh,” Baekhyun stammers, unsure of what to do with Suho this close, “Yeah. I’ll finish getting ready. Thanks.”

 

Suho smiles before he straightens up and walks to the other side of the room to rummage in his own bag for his hairspray. Baekhyun blinks before pulling himself upright, only to see Kyungsoo smirking at him from his seat in front of the mirror. He rolls his eyes at Kyungsoo before reaching into his bag to grab his flat iron, making sure that he chooses the seat farthest away from Kyungsoo at the makeup mirror. It doesn’t work, however, as Kyungsoo merely slides himself into the seat right next to him.

 

“I saw that,” Kyungsoo states, matter of fact. Baekhyun stares at his flat iron, willing it to heat faster.

 

“You know, I get a lot of shit for being in love with a customer,” Kyungsoo whispers, sliding some gel through his hair, “But I think it might be worse to be in love with another host.”

 

“I’m not in love with him!” Baekhyun hisses, burning the tip of his ear with his flat iron in anger. He groans, both at the pain and at the smug smirk on Kyungsoo’s face at his half admission.

 

“Well, you aren’t yet,” Kyungsoo giggles, smoothing down the sides of his hair before clapping Baekhyun on the back, “Your secret is safe with me, bro.”  


\--

Somehow nobody is piss drunk by the end of the night. Sehun had one of his best customers come earlier that night, a married woman whose husband had a fortune for her to spend, and she ordered enough alcohol to pay the club’s rent for nearly a month. His eyes are unfocused but Tao holds him at the elbow as they all stand around the bar.

 

“I know Luhan is still away on vacation,” Chanyeol starts, voice shaking, “But I have an announcement.”

 

“Are you knocked up?” Jongdae snorts from the side, getting a swift elbow in his side courtesy of Yixing, although he’s tipsy enough to barely be fazed by it.

 

“No. But I’m leaving.” Chanyeol says bluntly. The pause in the room is heavy as the others wait for him to continue. He doesn’t.

 

“What does that mean?” Tao stage whispers into Sehun’s ear, probably thinking he misunderstood Chanyeol’s words.

 

“I’m going to go to China. Next week.”

 

“With Kris,” Kyungsoo finishes for him. His voice is flat and seemingly emotionless but Baekhyun knows what really lies underneath is unbridled fury. Anger for having been told off about his relationship with a customer only a day before to finding out his boss is running away with one of his own. Chanyeol turns red, his cheeks and the tips of his ears. For a moment he looks down at the counter, teeth worrying the skin of his bottom lip before he raises his head and meets Kyungsoo’s eyes with determination. 

 

“Yes. With Kris. And the Club is going to Baekhyun. That’s what I wanted to tell you all.” Chanyeol shoves himself from the bar, bending down to pick up the cash box, opening it and turning his attention to the bills inside. 

 

Nobody moves. Nobody speaks. Baekhyun waits for someone to object to his taking over. Hell, for someone to object to Chanyeol’s leaving. But nothing comes – there’s just deafening silence. 

 

Sehun grabs Tao by the elbow and pulls him towards the door. 

 

“Let’s go,” He says, and although he tries to keep his voice as expressionless as usual it cracks just slightly. Baekhyun watches as they file out, silent with either shock or anger. He watches them leave and then turns to Chanyeol, watches as tears fall from his eyes.


	3. PART THREE

“What’s going on?” Wendy says in Baekhyun’s ear. She’s leaning in close enough that Baekhyun can feel her body heat radiating against his arm, even though they're not touching yet.

He doesn't even need to ask her to clarify, knowing that she's talking about the atmosphere in the room. The news the night before had been a hard pill to swallow, with only a few hours of restless sleep between then and now. It's as if every host is suspended in his own world, only going through the motions. Even Jongdae, the only one here who could be even louder than Baekhyun, was quiet, leaning in close to his long time customer to have a quiet conversation rather than flit back and forth between tables doing shots and yelling for champagne.

"Just some workplace drama," Baekhyun murmurs, reaching out to brush Wendy's hair behind her ear and playing with the lobe between his fingers. Wendy was the type of girl who was easy to please, the type who relied on superficial sweetness and affection more than anything. Her gaze drops and she nods, letting the subject go. Easy as that.

The only one who didn't seem to be affected was Suho. With dark eyes, Baekhyun watched as he sang a karaoke duet with Krystal. Dropping to his knees to serenade her passionately, he's rewarded with an eye roll and a small, satisfied smirk. Usually, Krystal would be curled up in a corner looking disinterested as Jongin made puppy eyes at her, but he was looking downcast and chewing on his thumb hard enough that Baekhyun worried he'd draw blood.

When it's time to cash out at the end of the night, not a single one of them is surprised that their sales are terrible. For the first time in a long time, Chanyeol's finished counting the cash before everyone's even cleaned up and prepared to leave.

Sitting on the back sofa, Tao runs a makeup wipe back and forth over his eyes before saying quietly, "Luhan isn't coming back. He decided after I told him the news."

No one acknowledges him, maybe out of shock or merely because they didn't hear. Again, louder this time, "Luhan isn't coming back."

"So what?" Kyungsoo bites out, balling up his shirt and tossing it into his bag, "He can fuck himself."

Anger radiates from Tao, fists clenched and arms flexed, and Kyungsoo looks the same. Despite the obvious difference in size, Baekhyun thinks it'd be quite the evenly matched fight if they let the two of them go at it. Both he and Sehun jump to their feet to stand between the two, a small and possibly useless barricade. Suho watches from the side, face expressionless.

Tao is the first to back down, folding in on himself and letting the tension bleed from his shoulders. Tao was always quick to anger, quick to give in, quick to love - the most open-hearted of them all. Sehun always had a good grip on him, a quiet grounding force to Tao. He rests a hand on the small of Tao's back and guides him back to the sofa, sitting close enough for their thighs to touch.

Without saying anything else, Kyungsoo picks up his bag and leaves the club, not even sparing anyone a glance. Slowly, one by one, they follow him, until only Baekhyun and Suho are left with Chanyeol. The silence around them is heavy as they lock up the club and exit to the street, slipping on sunglasses to block the rising sun from tired eyes. The three of them exchange quiet goodbyes and get in separate cabs.

Despite the slow night, Baekhyun is tired, body aching with exhaustion. He dozes in the taxi until he's shaken awake by the driver, clawing his way to the darkness his apartment. Without changing or washing, Baekhyun falls into a fitful sleep.

The next day, Baekhyun goes to the club ahead of schedule to start going over the books with Chanyeol.

Chanyeol had always been good with money and budgeting, and all of his books are meticulously organized. Chanyeol ensures him over and over that it's not that hard and when Baekhyun gets used to it, it won't even taken him a second thought to get everything right.

"Besides," Chanyeol smiles, but his eyes are blank and tired, "I'm always just a phone call away, Baek. I'll help you through this.”

"You better," Baekhyun glowers as he slams the pay records shut, "All of this is your fault. I never wanted to handle business taxes yet here we are…."

Leaning against the bar, Chanyeol rests his head on his folded arms, looking up at Baekhyun through his fringe. Baekhyun had been so concerned over the past few days with himself, and what he was going to do when Chanyeol left, that he hasn't even considered what Chanyeol's been going through. Now that Baekhyun is looking at him, _really_ looking at him, sober and quiet and close, Chanyeol looks so tired. With dark circles under his eyes and lines beginning to appear at the corner of his mouth, he looks years older.

Baekhyun puts his hand on Chanyeol's forehead, pushes back his hair and runs his nails across Chanyeol's scalp the way he knows Chanyeol likes. They sit just like that as the clocks ticks down the minutes until it was time to work, time for the shouting and singing and drinking to push away their worries and thoughts. 

They’re quiet enough that Baekhyun can hear the ticking of Chanyeol’s Rolex on his wrist, and he lets the sound fill him until there’s nothing else.

—

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

Going on 48 hours with only three hours sleep, Baekhyun knows it’s not the best idea to start looking at financial records. But really, what choice does he have? It’s Wednesday, the club’s rent is due Friday, his own due Saturday, and he told Heechul he’d pay the invoices for alcohol shipments by Sunday at the latest.

The numbers on the page in front of him dance back and forth as his vision blurs. Baekhyun reaches wildly for the can of Red Bull on the table in front of him, chugging the rest of it down. But even if he had clear, focused eyes, the numbers just don’t add up. 

He had done everything Chanyeol had recommended, and yet he was still coming up short. This had happened the last month too, and Baekhyun had decided to take a pay cut to cover whatever sort of accounting mistake he had made. He made sure he was much more careful this time around - he kept the receipts, shopped around for liquor, contacted old customers and send boys out to snag some new ones. Still, there just wasn’t enough. 

If his numbers were right, and Baekhyun hopes that they’re not, after he pays everyone their fair share, they’ll only be enough left for him to pay his rent and buy a box of ramyun to eat for the month. Maybe he could get some bananas too. On sale. 

Baekhyun falls back in his chair and digs the heels of his hands into his eyes, letting stars emerge and fade in the darkness. In the back of his mind, he knows that calling or texting Chanyeol about this is the right way to go, yet whenever he picks up the phone, it’s only to tell his best friend about some stupid incident or send him a funny picture. Baekhyun knows that his pride is getting in the way, and he’s not sure if he wants to make it back down.

There would be something rewarding about doing this all on his own. It'd be better, sweeter, if he could say it was by the sweat of his brow and no one else's. 

A glance at his phone tells Baekhyun it’s already noon. If he sleeps now, he can get a good six hours in before he needs to shower and head to the club. But his sleep is fitful, barely effective, and when he gets to the club, he knows he looks worse than when he left in the morning. 

“Baekhyun, you look horrible,” Tao whimpers sympathetically, running his hands through Baekhyun’s hair, still damp from his shower. His fingers dig into the spots behind Baekhyun’s ears, sending warm tingles down his spine.

“You need to start calling me hyung, kid.”

“Baekhyun-hyung, you look terrible.”

Tao’s smirk is annoying, but Baekhyun lets him stay because his scalp massages always have just the right amount of pressure. Tao rests his chin on the top of Baekhyun’s head when he’s finished, arms wrapped around loosely around his waist. They stay like that while everyone else slowly trickles in, as noisy as ever. 

He can pay them all their fair share, has been fortunate enough to do that, and Baekhyun is happy. And for now, that small bit will have to be enough. 

That night, Yixing is the first one ready and made up, and he holes himself in one of the booths at the back of the club, a textbook spread in front of him and a highlighter in hand. Hoping to get into one of Seoul’s best graduate programs for sociology, Yixing always brought reading material with him just in the off chance he had a bit of time to get through it. With the lack of sleep and food, Baekhyun’s hangover is painful enough without the added commotion of Sehun and Tao fake wrestling with Jongdae cheering them on. He sits across from Yixing with a huge glass of water, still in his street clothes. 

“You’re not going to get ready?” Yixing asks without even looking up, highlighting what seems to be like an entire paragraph. 

Baekhyun sighs and gulps down more water. “I will. The backroom is just… Too noisy right now. Head hurts.”

Yixing hums, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. “Baekhyun-ah, if you want to talk, I’m always here. You haven’t been looking well since…”

“I know,” Baekhyun says, a bit tighter than he has hoped, “I know. It’s just a hangover.”

“Okay,” Yixing says quietly, “I’ll leave you to it, then.” 

Baekhyun knows it’s not a dismissal in any way. Yixing is someone with sense, who knows when to push and when to pull and when to stand down. Knows how to read the energy of a person or a room. It’s what makes him such a damn good host, able to know what his clients want, and it makes him a great friend to have around. Baekhyun lets out a sigh of relief and slumps down in the booth, resting his temple against the cool leather. 

Later, at 1 AM, Baekhyun holds a napkin under Wendy’s chin as she struggles to chug her champagne call. The entire club is surrounding them, chanting and singing. Jongdae has jumped up on the couch behind her, arms flailing as he yells louder than anyone else. It had been quite a while since Baekhyun had seen her, and he’s been so out of it all night she probably bought it to win some more of his attention. Over the top of the bottle, Baekhyun locks eyes with Suho, whose smile falters for just a second before returning.

His eyes are a different story - wide with worry and sadness. Baekhyun is angry at himself for letting his mask slip, even for a moment. 

He looks back at Wendy when she finishes drinking and smiles at her, as bright as he can muster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for short the filler chapter, i promise i'll be getting to more real story soon.  
> find me on twitter @moshimoshh


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